I know, I know… egg salad? Isn’t that an after Easter food? I love egg salad, and eat it year round! I love finding new ways to jazz it up, put a new spin on it. This version is my absolute favorite… it’s a gourmet egg salad with the great flavors of finely minced shallot and chopped fresh tarragon.

Have you ever used fresh tarragon before? Honestly, it’s one of those herbs I tend to forget about. Sad, sad tarragon. I love using fresh herbs, and use them in nearly all the things I cook, even if it’s just as a garnish 🙂 Tarragon has a unique flavor, sort of like anise… which sounds weird, but it’s actually delicious with meats, eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, and in salads!

First you’ll need to hard boil your eggs. Now there’s about a gazillion (okay, maybe not a gazillion, but a LOT) of methods for creating the perfect hard boiled egg, so go with whichever method you like best! For me, I place my eggs in a single layer in the bottom of my stockpot and cover with about an inch or so of cold water. I heat the water over high heat until boiling, turn off the heat, leave on the burner, cover, and let them sit for about 15 minutes. Then I remove them with my strainer and place them in a bowl of ice water, then lay them out on paper towels to dry.

Now you can use these right away, or pop them in the refrigerator for a couple days. I was using eggs that I had boiled the day before, so I just pulled them out of the refrigerator and started peeling them. Peeling eggs can be a huge hassle, so I definitely recommend boiling eggs that are at LEAST a week old, they’ll be a little easier to peel. I wrap an egg in a paper towel, place it on my cutting board and apply even gentle pressure with my hand while I roll it back and forth. It crunches, then you can peel all the little shell flakes off.

You can chop the eggs up as finely or as chunky as you want for your salad! I went with a medium chop on mine, for a creaminess with some nice texture 🙂

Add all your ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir it to combine well. I like to refrigerate my egg salad for a few hours or a day to let all the flavors really combine. Just make sure you have it in a container that seals well… you definitely don’t want your whole refrigerator smelling like egg salad!

For my sandwiches I baked up some of my signature seasoned bacon (black pepper, dried rosemary leaves, dash of chili powder and a sprinkle of brown sugar), because… well bacon just makes everything better right? I definitely think so!

I also got some delicious whole grain bread from my grocery store’s bakery and picked up a bag of some baby arugula. I love using arugula as my lettuce, such great flavor.

This is one of my absolute favorite sandwiches… all the flavors are amazing and it’s so light you won’t feel guilty for eating that mayo! Aaaaannnnddd the bacon 😉

Now I’m not sure of the exact shelf life of egg salad, in the refrigerator of course, because ours is usually gone within a day or two… but I wouldn’t think it would be good for more than 5 days.

I love having this egg salad on all types of breads… croissants being one of my favorite options… as well as in a lettuce cup for a nice light lunch. Also, and maybe I’m just weird, (okay, I seriously am), but I also LOVE this egg salad on a lightly toasted “everything” bagel. Ah-mazing!

Instructions

BOIL THE EGGS:

If you need to boil your eggs, place them in the bottom of a large pot and cover with cold water (enough to cover the eggs by about an inch or more). Place pan over HIGH heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, let boil for 15 seconds, turn heat OFF.

Leave pan on the burner and let pan sit, covered, for 15 minutes.

Remove eggs with a strainer to a bowl filled with ice water. Let sit in ice water for 1 minute, then remove to paper towels to dry. Use immediately or refrigerate.

MAKE THE SALAD:

Peel and chop eggs and add to a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon to combine thoroughly. Cover tightly and refrigerate for several hours or up to a day before eating (for maximum flavor).

Notes

** If you prefer a bit of sweetness in your egg salad, add a teaspoon or so of sweet pickle relish (or chopped sweet pickles).

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55 comments on “Tarragon and Shallot Egg Salad”

Tasty and fast. It was a last minute decision after a lazy Sunday and no meal planned. I threw the egg salad in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill really fast. Used thick applewood bacon. It was excellent. I will have to do it again and let the flavors meld for 24 hours. Thank you for sharing.

Amanda, hands down, the best egg salad I have ever made and I’m a pretty damn good cook! The tarragon and shallot totally rock this recipe! I even took it upon myself to make my bacon “interesting” by adding the black pepper, rosemary, chilie powder, and brown sugar you mentioned. No idea if my method was right but that was amazing also. Thanks for a great recipe, will totally make this again and again and again….

I love egg salad sandwiches and this one looks amazing!!! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!

I’m in love with this! Thank you for sharing this with us! Pinned and tweeted! I hope to see you at tonight’s party. We are always so impressed with your creations and can’t wait to see them! Lou Lou Girls

I love tarragon, I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with it myself though! Love the look of this egg salad, so many yummy flavours! These photos are making me starving!
Thanks for bringing them along to Fiesta Friday 🙂

I am not a big fan of egg salad, deviled eggs, etc. but your pictures and description of your recipe make me wish I loved this salad as much as you. There are a lot of egg lovers and I am sure this will be a big hit – thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday #73 🙂

Ahhhh, thank you SO much Stephanie!! You’re so right, I did several test runs on photographing the egg salad and it was hard to make it look like more than a pale yellow blog of mush 😛 Thankfully, I had a great sunny day to play with the light 🙂

I associate egg salad with my childhood. I still ove it but seldom make it. When I do it vanishes, eaten by my hubby and 1 son. This one sounds so fabulous I love tarragon too and that bacon!!!!!!!!! ‘Nuf said. Will be making this!

Hello There!

I'm Amanda... a wife, mother of two rambunctious kiddos, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that gourmet meals should be something we can ALL enjoy. Now that you're here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let's get cookin'!